Smoke-consuming furnace.



110,342,139. PATENTED JAN. '29, 1907.

.' w. B. ESTES.

SMOKE consume FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED 00126. 1906.

WITNESSES.-

, [NVENT R I r w THE NORRIS FEI'ERS co, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. ESTES, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS.

SlVlOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907'.

Application filed October 26, 1906. Serial No. 340.661.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM B. Esrns, a citizen. of the United States,residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois,have invented new and useful Improvements in Smoke-Consuming Furnaces,

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which--Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a boiler-furnace providedwith the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2 2of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 4 indicates the grate, 5 thebridge-wall, 6 the boiler-fines, and 16 the breeching or smokebox at thefront end of the boiler, these parts being of the usual or ordinaryconstruction.

For returning the products of combustion from the smoke'box to thecombustionchamber I employ pipes which are mainly embedded in the sidewalls of the furnace. The ends of the pipes are located in thesmoke-box. in the form of depending parts 9, which are provided with aseries of hoods 8, located at various heights along the same. Thepurpose ofhaving a series of hoods is to catch the smoke from thevarious levels or sets of fines. The pipes 9 have openings 9 thereinwithin the hoods, so that the smoke which enters the hood passes throughthe openings 9* and into the pipes. The vertical parts or pipes 9 areconnected at the top by elbows 1.0 to horizontal pipes 11, which extendrearwardly through the brickwork above the boiler and have a series ofbranches 11 11 and 11, which extend downwardly through the side walls ofthe boiler-setting. One branch 11 opens, as indicated at 12, into thecombustion-chamber above the grate. The others, 11 and 11, open, asindicated at 12 and 12 in the ash-pit under the grate and assist thedraft. To increase the draft and also to induce the flow of smoke,through the return-pipes, steam-jet pipes 7 are provided, which enterthe mouths or lower ends of the pipes 9 and.

discharge a jet upwardly into said pipes. Steam is supplied through apipe 7 which taps the boiler and which is controlled by a I valve 7.

To further assist combustion, air-feeding means are provided consistingof thimbles 13, which extend through the side walls of the setting andopen into the combustionchamber above the grate. Valves 14 on theoutside control the flow'of air through these thimbles. The supply ofair to the top of the fire may accordingly be varied without forcing agreat draft through the fuel-bed.

The combined effect of the supply of finelydivided carbon in the form ofsmoke and of hot gases and of steam and air is to greatly assistcombustion, resulting in consumption of the smoke and consequentincrease of heating capacity and saving of fuel.

I claim In a boiler-furnace, a return-pipe for smoke and gases, havingan inlet end depending vertically within the breeching and provided witha series of inlet-openings at various heights opposite the rows of fluesin the boiler, a series of hoods above said openings, said pipeextending rearwardly and downwardly to the fire-box, in combinationwitha steam-jet pipe discharging into the pipe.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM B. ESTES.

Witnesses:

C. M. SwALLow, R. ALLAN STEPHENS.

